Niall Ó Brolcháin (Green Party)

I very much welcome the Minister of State responsible for children to the House. It is very important that there be a Minister of State responsible for children. We are here to discuss the report of the Ombudsman for Children. It is very important that there be an ombudsman for children.

Senator Mullen stated all the Government seems to do is produce reports. That is always a criticism of Governments and can sometimes be valid. I would like to refer to the renewed programme for Government. Under the heading "Children" on page 19, the first sentence states, "We will fully execute the Government Implementation Plan in response to the Ryan Report, including the improvement of children's services and a National Day of Atonement." When reports are produced, their recommendations should be implemented. The key item in the renewed programme for Government refers to the implementation of the recommendations of the Ryan report. Implementation is crucial.

I have spoken on the protection of the children of the nation before. It is one of the most important issues that any of us can speak on in this House. Clichés apart, the children are the future of the nation. How we treat, educate and raise our children very much frames how society will be shaped in the future. It is crucial that any mistakes our generation made are addressed. The Senators present are of a number of generations but common to us all is the fact that we are not children, most of us. We are either middle-aged or older people.